So I won an auction for golf at (******) Country Club...

[third-times-a-charm]

On 1/11/2024 at 7:06 AM, weavej1 said:

 

 

i can’t think of many courses where the grass is better in January than it is in April may or June.  

 

Many courses in the south - Florida specifically - overseed for the cooler months and those conditions are without a doubt 'better/nicer' than the summer months - not to mention the maintenance and healing periods during warmer months.

[Greenie]

3 hours ago, StudentGolfer4 said:

@Greeniesounds like a poor experience all around. If you ever have the opportunity to do something like this again I would encourage you to go for it. In my experience, your host is the exception and not the rule. Most members that agree to host guest are gracious and welcoming. Did some of your buddies end up playing still?

 

 Yes. Two of the guys ended up scheduling a Saturday round with the guy. They called out sick to play. The one guy that played said the course was nice but he could tell the member didn't want to be there.

They had the same auction the next year ( I don't know if it was the same member) and no one bid on it. 

[Nickb333]

23 hours ago, kekoa said:

This auction was donated by a member.  The voucher says:  'Generously donated by:__________________.

 

I went to the club website for fun to check out guest policies and it states that a member must be with their guest at all times.

 

Thanks for al in input guys.  Speaking to the other 2 guys, one of which is my son, seems like I'm the only one so anxious to play this course.  The other guy almost forgot we even won the auction.   🙂

Things like this can be frustrating for sure. My 2 cents, just relax. It will work out. You’ll certainly have maximum satisfaction with a chill attitude. 

[HoosierHacker89]

I sort of went through something similar to this last year, and everything worked out just fine. It did take some leg work on my part however.  I assume you don't have a must use by xxy date on your round of golf, so I would just remain patient. 

[kekoa]

On 1/12/2024 at 1:08 PM, Greenie said:

 Yes. Two of the guys ended up scheduling a Saturday round with the guy. They called out sick to play. The one guy that played said the course was nice but he could tell the member didn't want to be there.

They had the same auction the next year ( I don't know if it was the same member) and no one bid on it. 

Well that sucks.  The member should know going into this that they may need to make concessions when donating a round of golf at their club.  I mean you really don't know who might bid and win these types of auctions.  During my first email I mentioned that a weekend would work best for us since I work and my son goes to school.  He immediately replied that weekdays would be best even though he is retired.  lol

 

I know this will all work out eventually, but never again will I bid on such an auction unless it is to play Augusta.  🤣

 

 

[Bonneville85308]

Some years ago at a club I used to belong to, a fellow member and friend had donated a threesome to a local charity auction (3 spots for the auction winner + member host), but around the time of the auction he ended up with an injury from a car accident that prevented him from playing for 6 months. He asked me if I could play with the auction winner's threesome as a favor to him, I had no problem doing so as my schedule was flexible at the time and the auction winner wanted to play on a day I would have played on anyway. My friend explained the situation to the pro and the pro had no issue billing my friend for the three guest fees as originally planned even though they were playing with me.

 

Point is, if the host thinks outside of the box a little, the auction winner could be easily accommodated so long as the course isn't closed or the club has extremely rigid guest rules with zero flexibility in a special situation like a charity auction.

Edited January 16 by Bonneville85308

[T_Golf_23]

28 minutes ago, Bonneville85308 said:

Some years ago at a club I used to belong to, a fellow member and friend had donated a threesome to a local charity auction (3 spots for the auction winner + member host), but around the time of the auction he ended up with an injury from a car accident that prevented him from playing for 6 months. He asked me if I could play with the auction winner's threesome as a favor to him, I had no problem doing so as my schedule was flexible at the time and the auction winner wanted to play on a day I would have played on anyway. My friend explained the situation to the pro and the pro had no issue billing my friend for the three guest fees as originally planned even though they were playing with me.

 

Point is, if the host thinks outside of the box a little, the auction winner could be easily accommodated so long as the course isn't closed or the club has extremely rigid guest rules with zero flexibility in a special situation like a charity auction.

I second this. Most clubs will be understanding if the member truly has an issue. 
 

They understand this is for charity and will try to make it work. 
 

this could have easily been solved if the member easily reached out to a buddy at the club or the pros and told them what’s up. In some extreme cases our 2nd pro has gone out with the group.
 

my take is if you bid on an auction, the donating party should be pretty accommodative to make it a good experience. Especially if you want people bidding on that round in the next years auction. 
 

I get it, sh*t happens…. But take care of people who are putting out their hard earned money. 
 

These things should not take a tone of effort to chase down the member. That is BS. 
 

PSA - pls don’t donate rounds if you can’t be an accommodative and gracious host. It may just be another round for you,  it it’s a real special treat for the guest who bid on the auction. 
 

I am speaking from a lot of experience on both side of the coin with this one. 

Edited January 16 by T_Golf_23

[Llortamaisey]

I agree with everyone that patience is the best route, however there is another way to look at this. This guy owes you a round of golf. Life has really thrown him a curve ball with his wife’s injury and it doesn’t seem like he’s been excited to go play even before that. You and him are on the same team, and the round of golf is the problem. You’re trying to help each other out. It’s a lot easier to get someone to do something for you when they want to do it for you. Negotiate this in his world. Persuasion isn’t about being bright, smooth, or forceful. It’s about this guy convincing himself that the solution you want was his idea. Don’t make this about you. Ask him questions that will open a path to your goal.

I would present it like this:

 

“It seems like this has been a real bad time for you to even think about golf with everything going on at home. It feels like the charity round is just another burden hanging over your head, a real pain in the butt. Would it be a crazy idea if another member or the pro/assistant could help host us to take this off your plate?”

 

Ask the question where the word “no” gets you to your goal. People love saying the word “no”. That way you can manage his emotions and it sounds like you’re trying to do him a favor by being more accommodating with who you play with, so he doesn’t have to deal with taking you out to play. He might say to himself, “yeah, this is a pain in the butt. I bet Bobby would help me take them out to play.” It becomes a win-win situation. 
 

The worst case scenario is that he says it is a crazy idea, which in that case you just need to remain patient. I don’t think you have anything to lose by approaching it this way. Even if it doesn’t expedite the round, you still come off as more concerned about him and caring for his tough situation. 

[Ed3553]

13 hours ago, Llortamaisey said:

I agree with everyone that patience is the best route, however there is another way to look at this. This guy owes you a round of golf. Life has really thrown him a curve ball with his wife’s injury and it doesn’t seem like he’s been excited to go play even before that. You and him are on the same team, and the round of golf is the problem. You’re trying to help each other out. It’s a lot easier to get someone to do something for you when they want to do it for you. Negotiate this in his world. Persuasion isn’t about being bright, smooth, or forceful. It’s about this guy convincing himself that the solution you want was his idea. Don’t make this about you. Ask him questions that will open a path to your goal.

I would present it like this:

 

“It seems like this has been a real bad time for you to even think about golf with everything going on at home. It feels like the charity round is just another burden hanging over your head, a real pain in the butt. Would it be a crazy idea if another member or the pro/assistant could help host us to take this off your plate?”

 

Ask the question where the word “no” gets you to your goal. People love saying the word “no”. That way you can manage his emotions and it sounds like you’re trying to do him a favor by being more accommodating with who you play with, so he doesn’t have to deal with taking you out to play. He might say to himself, “yeah, this is a pain in the butt. I bet Bobby would help me take them out to play.” It becomes a win-win situation. 
 

The worst case scenario is that he says it is a crazy idea, which in that case you just need to remain patient. I don’t think you have anything to lose by approaching it this way. Even if it doesn’t expedite the round, you still come off as more concerned about him and caring for his tough situation. 

You write very well.  Great advice.

 

[umassgolfer]

I may be too trusting but I might take the member at face value. If the bid was as high as you're implying, it could be that he wants to play with a group who can swing that for reciprocal / business/ etc. reasons. If the course is always in pretty great shape and SoCal weather doesn't mean a spring round is going to be unfavorable weather, I'd let it ride a bit. Maybe push him to get a date on the calendar now so he has it scheduled to work around.

 

You did "buy it" from him, so he does "owe" you the round, but you will have to spend 4+ hours with him and get the most out of your experience at the club...

[Llortamaisey]

5 hours ago, Ed3553 said:

You write very well.  Great advice.

 

It’s not me, I stole every bit of that from someone else, I admit it haha. Not an original thought in my brain. 

[puttnforthe8]

On 1/10/2024 at 5:41 PM, kekoa said:

A buddy and I had plans to bid on an auction to play a nice local club.   I wasn't planning to bid so high on the auction, but proceeds go towards a good cause.   Anyhow, the deal is 3 of us get to play with a member, which includes green fees, caddies, and lunch.   We won the auction back in October of 2023.  I immediately reached out to the member to discuss some dates/times that would work to play the course.  A week or so later, I get a response saying that there is some construction going on at the course so it might be best to play sometime in January.   We are now in January so I reached out to the member again.   Now he says his wife just underwent knee surgery so it could be a few more months as he needs to be home playing nurse.   Am I wrong at being a little irked or do I just need to have more patience?  🙂

 

I have one of these going on 4 years now because of covid and then the excuses.  I figure I am just outta luck at this point.

[kekoa]

1 hour ago, puttnforthe8 said:

 

I have one of these going on 4 years now because of covid and then the excuses.  I figure I am just outta luck at this point.

Sorry to hear that.  Any way you can go directly to the benefiting charity to have someone make good on winning the auction?

[puttnforthe8]

1 hour ago, kekoa said:

Sorry to hear that.  Any way you can go directly to the benefiting charity to have someone make good on winning the auction?

I doubt it -  emailed them, but no response so far.  

 

 

[kekoa]

**UPDATE**

 

I was finally able to nail a date down in April.  A full 6 months since we paid and won the auction.  The host told me it could be another 6 months until the clubhouse is finally complete and asked me if I wanted to wait.   By then, the voucher would expire.  Again, I don't give 2 sh*ts about the clubhouse although the auction voucher mentions lunch with the host, which would be nice.  I'm going for the golf.   Hopefully we have a good time out there.   He has no idea that myself, my son, and buddy aren't your average hacks.  lol

 

Next update in 4/18

[jas904]

Hoping you are able to pull it off.  Keep us updated.

[shankz]

Riviera? Just saying cuz it’s my fav course and prob never play. Totally worth all the trouble and then some if it is. GL and have fun even if it’s not. 

[kekoa]

On 3/21/2024 at 2:51 PM, shankz said:

Riviera? Just saying cuz it’s my fav course and prob never play. Totally worth all the trouble and then some if it is. GL and have fun even if it’s not. 

Well we were finally able to get the round in today.  it wasn't Riv, but in the area.  Great day of golf and the host could not have been more of a nice guy and gracious.  So crazy that he hasn't played this club in a few years as he is a member at another really good club near his home.   In the end, it was actually worth the wait.   The club house looks amazing, but looks to be at least 7 months or more away from completion.   Currently the dining area and locker rooms are in a temp canopy that looks like a frat house.   Glad everything worked out.  I totally forgot to ask about the punched greens, but tis the season.

[GowerND11]

9 hours ago, kekoa said:

Well we were finally able to get the round in today.  it wasn't Riv, but in the area.  Great day of golf and the host could not have been more of a nice guy and gracious.  So crazy that he hasn't played this club in a few years as he is a member at another really good club near his home.   In the end, it was actually worth the wait.   The club house looks amazing, but looks to be at least 7 months or more away from completion.   Currently the dining area and locker rooms are in a temp canopy that looks like a frat house.   Glad everything worked out.  I totally forgot to ask about the punched greens, but tis the season.

As a resident poors, I couldn't fathom NOT playing a course for years as a member. I'm a public golfer myself, so my view is definitely different than others, but that just blows my mind to belong somewhere and not play it. 

[kekoa]

3 hours ago, GowerND11 said:

As a resident poors, I couldn't fathom NOT playing a course for years as a member. I'm a public golfer myself, so my view is definitely different than others, but that just blows my mind to belong somewhere and not play it. 

Thats my thought as well.  I mean monthly dues at this club are just outrageous, but if you have options like this member does I guess its no big deal.  

[mikewohlwend]

Is there a reason it's such a big secret what the course is?

[kekoa]

8 minutes ago, mikewohlwend said:

Is there a reason it's such a big secret what the course is?

Not really.  Course was Bel Air CC